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PA: Israel courts afford cover for settler violence

Palestinians try to extinguish a fire in an olive grove after it was set alight by settlers from a near by Jewish settlement close to the West Bank village of Burin [Wagdi Eshtayah/Anadolu Agency]

January 3, 2019 at 11:42 am

The Palestinian Authority (PA) yesterday accused the Israeli courts of affording cover for the terror carried out by Jewish settlers in the occupied territories, Quds Net News reported.

In a statement issued by the foreign ministry, the PA said that Israeli courts and judicial systems are tools for protecting the occupation and ensuring it remains in place.

“They do not have any link to the true legal systems,” the statement said, adding: “They are only tools that help strengthen an expansionist colonial regime which deals with the life of Palestinians with disrespect and recklessness.”

The statement accused the Israeli judicial system of racism because it does not recognise the rights of Palestinians, while it recognises that Jewish settlers who live in illegal settlements built in occupied Palestinian territories are full citizens who enjoy all rights.

This comes as an Israeli court refused to accept a witness’ statement which identified the settler who took part in the arson attack that killed several members of the Palestinian Dawabsheh family and orphaned then four-year-old Ahmed. The court said the minor who identified the attacker did so under pressure.

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